John stoneham



' (No Model.)

J. STONHHAM. AUTOMATIC HATCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

INVENTUR @fim N, PETERS. Pholo-Lilhiwgrapher. Washinflm I10.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STONEHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC HATCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent N0. 424,033, dated March 25,1890.

Application filed December 16, 1889. Serial No. 333,929. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,JoHN STONEHAM, of

New York city, New York, have invented an Improved AutomaticHatch-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in hatchways, and has for itsobject to cause an automatic opening of the hatches by the cage as thelatter ascends or descends, and an automatic closing of the hatchesafter the cage has passed them.

The invention consists in the various features of improvement, morefully pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation ofahatchway provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionon line a: 00, Fig. 1.

The letter a represents a suitable frame for the hatchway, preferablyhaving platforms, to which the hatch or hatches b are pivoted, as usual.

0 is the balanced cage, adapted to be raised and lowered either by handor by steam-power.

Between a pair of the platforms of the hatchway there is secured agrooved guideway 6, in which slides a stop f. This stop is connected byrope g, passing over pulleys h h, to the forward end of hatch I), suchforward end being preferably weighted. The lower portionof the guidewaya need not be grooved, and is provided with an offset 6, beneath whichthe hatch b is received when raised, so as to clear the cage. The grooveof the guideway eis T-shaped in cross-section, Fig. 2, and thecross-groove e is placed at an inclination to the line of travel of thecagethat is to say, while at the uppermost part of guideway e thecross-groove is at its closest proximity to the cage; it graduallyrecedes therefrom toward the lower end of the guideway. Within thecross-groove e there is received a-flange f of stop f, so thatsaid stopis also guided, not in a vertical line, but at an inclination. Theinclination of crossgroove e should be such that while the stop itprojects to its maximum extent out of such guideway when in itsuppermost position.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. If the cage isbelow the hatch b and is drawn up, it will push the hatch up beneathshoulder 6, thereby lowering stop f. The cage will pass the hatch andcome into contact with the stop f (now in its lowermost or concealedposition) and will hold such stop in until it has entirely passed it. Assoon as the cage has passed the stop, however, the weighted hatch, whichhad previously been placed in an inclined position, (full lines, Fig.1,) 'will by its tendency to drop down pull the rope g. Thus as the cagegradually rises the pull on the rope will cause the stop f to risedirectly below it, the stop pressing against the bottom of the cage; butwhile the stop rises it will more and more project out of the groovedguideway until, when it is in its uppermost position, it will be exposedto its maximum extent, (dotted lines, Fig. 1,) while the hatch will havegradually closed. On the descent of the cage it will bear upon the stopand push it down to gradually open the hatch. When the stop has arrivedat its lowermost position, it will be entirely concealed within thegrooved guideway, so as to be out of the way of the cage. The latter nowpasses the stop and then passes through the open hatch. As soon as ithas clearedthe hatch, the latter closes by its own weight.

The cage may be provided with a beveled finger c, to push the hatchaside during the descent of the cage.

What I claim is The combination of a hatchway with a grooved guideway 0,having shoulder e, and inclined cross-groove 6 a stop f, having flange fengaging said groove, a pair of pulleys h h, a rope passing over saidpulleys, a hatch connected by the rope to the stop, and a cage having abeveled finger, substantially as specified.

JOHN STONEHAM. Witnesses:

F..v. BRIEsEN, A. J ONGHMANS.

